Monday, March 20, 2017

DM:LCI is welcoming backErin Adams, former candidate for House of
Representatives of Oklahoma in 2016. Erin, it's a pleasure to speak
with you again. How did the ending run of your campaign trail turn
out? What was the support and feedback like from voters?

EA: Thanks so much for having me back! I was blessed with an
incredible campaign team and because of their help, in my three way
race, I pulled in 5.7% of the vote. We achieved that with less than 4k
in a district with 14 registered libertarians.

DM: It was a great effort in a very tough race. Many do not understand the
amount of financing that goes into running a campaign and to get such
results on a small budget is positive news. What do you feel could have
changed the outcome to a higher number in your area? Advice that you
can both use yourself for future runs and other Liberty candidates?

EA: I think that part of the equation was that Libertarians had just
received ballot access, We went 16 years without it, so there were many
people who had no Idea what we were about. I hope to see higher numbers
here for our candidates moving forward. Another issue that seemed to be
prevalent here was the exclusion of Libertarian candidates from public
forums and debates and changing that may mean we need to file a few law
suits. In my race, I feel like I could have maybe pulled higher numbers
if I had devoted ALL of my time to my campaign. I was Filling a rather
large role with the Johnson campaign at the same time and I do not
regret that at all.

Advice? Start early, get comfortable
asking for help and money. Learn to listen. I think it is really
important to be fair, honest and timely in your message. Knock on EVERY
door. Build a team. Without my team I would have gone nowhere. I built
my team partially by reaching out to universities and getting some
internships set up, And I had some amazing Volunteers! Once you get that
team built, get out of their way, let them do what they do, the right
team will make you better. I know for myself, Public speaking is not my
strong point so because of that I founded the Oklahoma Libertarian
Toastmasters Group. Toastmasters is a wonderful organization who offer a
lot of value to Candidates not only in increasing our public speaking
skills but also in growing in our leadership abilities.

DM: What plans do you have for 2017 and going forward? Oklahoma
Libertarian Toastmasters Group, for example. What website and social
media links can you provide for this and other projects you may have
going or will be working on?

EA: I am very excited about my work at The Feldman Foundation. Our
candidate training's are just a small part of what we do but they are my
favorite part of what we do as well. Our web page is https://feldman.nationbuilder.com. Our Toastmasters group is growing and you can check it out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1903435239935207/.I
was Fortunate to be Included on the LNC convention oversight Committee
and I am really excited about the 2018 convention. I would encourage
Everyone to start planning to attend now as there are some really good
workshops and seminars included. 2017 is going to be a very busy year. I
am also involved with several caucuses and hold positions on several
state level caucuses. I am always doing something, I average about 14
hours a day, 7 days a week and I feel so fortunate that that is the
case. I do what I love, what I believe in, every single day! What could
be better? If there is anyone out there looking to take a more active
role in the party or the movement, Please reach out!

DM: If you could tell Libertarian Party National one piece of advice going into the 2018 convention, what would it be?

EA: Wow. That is a BIG question! I think it would be that we must stop
communicating in our own little "echo chamber" . We desperately need to
increase outreach and work harder at how we craft our message. The
message of Liberty is compelling and it always will be, but when we fail
to articulate that, everyone suffers. Our Principles are clear, Our
message must be as well.

DM: Erin, it's been great having you back with LCI. We certainly look
forward to speaking again. One last question, will you be seeking the
2020 Libertarian Party Presidential or Vice-Presidential nomination?

EA: I most certainly will not ;)

Erin Adams, former 2016 House of Representative Libertarian candidate for Oklahoma